This just in from Joe about the December workshop at the SCERA Center, 745 South State Street, Orem, on Saturday, December 16, from 1 pm to 3 pm.

I will be teaching – “How to make puppet eyes.” I will demonstrate two processes. One will be vacuum forming eyes out of plastic, and the other will be casting eyes using a mold and resins. The class will be from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at the SCERA Center in Orem. We will meet in the tile room down stairs. If you take the elevator, it will be the room on your left when you exit.

Thanks Joe Flores

This class is a must if you are even “thinking” of making your own ventriloquist figure (or any puppets with moving eyes). In Joe’s “day job” he gets to build automated creatures all the time so he has some great skills, techniques, and tips to get them right the first time. This is a great opportunity to see how it’s done. (Don’t forget a notebook and your camera or phone to record the step-by-step.)

If you have not been to the SCERA Center before – Yes, it is the theater building. There’s usually a lot going on so just tell them when you go in that you are there for the puppetry class and get directions to the elevator (not hard to find).

These are all budding ventriloquists with their new partners. What a fun time we had at the Ventriloquism Workshop with Kerry Summers and friends at the Brigham City Fine Arts Center last Saturday.

Ventriloquism is a really fun way to share the art of puppetry. All attendees learned basic ventriloquist skills, created a wanna-be puppet, and vowed to take their new partners home, dress them, write a short script for them, and then practice, Practice, PRACTICE!!!

We would like to give a huge THANKS to Kerry Summers. He was great and we all learned so much. Watch for follow up workshops and other puppet related events.

Not only will we have a great time creating a new wanna-be vent puppet partner (from your own or a second-hand store stuffed character) with help from those who know how from the Brigham City Fine Arts Center, but we now have Kerry Summers, an internationally known professional ventriloquist, joining us for this special workshop as instructor and mentor. (Click the link above to see the attached flyer.)

Some of you already know Kerry as a Puppetry Arts Guild of Utah member from Utah County. However, if you are new to the guild you may not have met him yet because he is often busy traveling the world with his puppets including Elvis. Kerry is listed as one of the top ventriloquists in the country, and has performed in over 30 countries and regularly performs on cruise ships and venues in Branson, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Japan.

Kerry has always been supportive of our local puppetry guild and he is home and agreed to attend, teach, and perform at the November 4th workshop!

Since sending out our first blurb we now have Kerry Summers to inspire and help us, and we have decided to do an introduction to ventriloquism and look at different vent character ideas for the first half hour before making our own wanna-be vent puppets. Also, note that workshop hours have changed a little to accommodate—now running from 9 am to 2 pm with Kerry’s show at 1 pm. (Bring a sack lunch.)

AND. . . If you are not able to attend the whole morning workshop you can still come and bring your friends and family to the Brigham City Fine Arts Center and World of Puppetry Museum (58 South 100 West, Brigham City) to enjoy the performance at 1 pm. The cost for the show only will be $3/person.

So, if you have other plans for November 4th, change them! This will be an awesome event!

**Just a quick reminder: Your wanna-be critters should have a neck large enough to accommodate your hand and arm, a seam where the mouth will be is nice, but not mandatory, and they should be clean (wash in cold to help prevent color transfer, and dry on fluff only or room dry—any heat from your dryer will frizz or melt most fake furs).

Brigham City Fine Arts Center, in conjunction with the Puppetry Art Guild of Utah Northern Branch, is offering a 4 and 1/2-hour workshop on the art of ventriloquism on Saturday, November 4, from 9 am to 1:30 pm. at the Brigham City Fine Arts Center, 58 South 100 West, Brigham City, UT.

The goal is to help participants 8 to 88 years of age make their own talking puppet the first 45 minutes to an hour, and then have time to learn Ventriloquism basics (or enhance their skills), learn character development, study a few vents on video and live, play theater games to further practice the vent techniques, and end with trying out staging techniques.

We will take a brief lunch break (participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch or there are several fast food places available near by), and then back for some short routines with your new partner.

Registrants are asked to bring a stuffed animal that they would like to make into a wide-mouth puppet. Be sure the critter has a large enough neck to get your hand through and it’s nice if there is a seam along where the mouth will be. Second-hand stuffed critters should always be washed and air dried or fluff dried with no heat in your dryer (even low dryer heat will melt or frazzle most fake furs) before starting the makeover project. There are also a few stuffed figures that will be available for purchase here from past “wanna-be puppet” workshops.

The World of Puppetry Museum will be open that afternoon starting at 1 pm, and registrants are welcome to stay and tour the museum. Admission to the museum and a 2 pm Punch and Judy show is free to workshop participants.

The cost for the day is $30 per participant (parents are welcome/encouraged to sit in as helpers for younger students since hot glue guns are involved). If you have more questions contact Susan at 435-730-2487 or bcfineartscenter@aol.com.

If kids have an interest in the art of ventriloquism, this is an economical way for them to try it out. Check out Darcy Lynn, 12-year old winner of this season of America’s Got Talent.

Hope to see you all there. You’ll get a chance to meet and learn from Kerry Summers, professional ventriloquist!

The Salt Lake area puppeteers are planning a Puppets in the City monster finger puppet making workshop on Saturday, October 7 from 10 am to noon. It will be at Shelby’s studio in the Art Factory, 193 West 2100 South, Salt Lake City. It will be geared for anyone 5 and up. The cost will be $15 for two puppets and a small stage for them to perform with.